Nikkei Closes in the Red, Yen & Yields in the Spotlight
Japanese stocks closed lower on Tuesday, led by pressure from the Paper & Pulp, Transportation, and Communications sectors. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.47% at the close in Tokyo, with more losing stocks than advancing ones (1,966 down vs. 1,655 up, 210 unchanged).
Among the top gainers, Taiyo Yuden (6976) surged 8.71% to 4,444, followed by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma (4506), which rose 7.19% to 3,184 (touching a 5-year high), and Murata (6981), which gained 6.88% to 3,509 (a 52-week high). However, on the losing side, Japan Steel Works (5631) fell 5.39% to 8,852, SoftBank Group (9984) slumped 5.10% to 4,449, and NEC (6701) fell 4.67% to 4,004.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei Volatility Index fell 9.30% to 31.03, indicating a slight easing in the options market risk premium. In commodities, April WTI oil fell 0.57% to $63.20/barrel and April Brent fell 0.64% to $68.21/barrel; while April gold futures fell 1.71% to $4,928.55/oz. In the forex market, USD/JPY fell 0.31% to 152.95 and EUR/JPY weakened 0.39% to 181.14, while US Dollar Index futures edged up 0.02% to 97.00. (alg)
Source: Newsmaker.id
